2007 Softball Season Preview

Mar 5, 2007

MEADVILLE, Pa. – The Allegheny College softball team enters 2007 as hungry as ever under the tenure of head coach Sandra Sanford, despite the absence of a senior on the roster. However, with a roster sporting eight letterwinners with plenty of starting experience and a slew of capable newcomers, the fourth-year coach is excited about her team’s prospects this spring.

“This year is the first season since I’ve been at Allegheny that we’ll have multiple players playing the same position for consecutive years,” said Sanford, who has a 63-55 record in her previous three seasons. “I see that as solidity and a strong base from which to work from.”

“We have sophomores and juniors that have a year or two of playing experience,” added the Gator head coach. “Some of our juniors have started for two years and there are a few sophomores that started every game as freshman. That kind of experience is what I’m excited about and what’s been shown in practice so far.”

Allegheny finished tied for third-place in the NCAC with an 8-6 record in 2006, but missed the four-team league tournament because of various tie-breakers. The Gators closed the season with a 19-21 record overall, playing nine extra-inning contests (3-6) and a dozen one-run affairs (3-9), including close losses to then No. 16 Wisconsin-Eau Claire (1-2) and then No. 25 Wisconsin-Stevens Point (4-7 in eight innings). Those hardships will translate into a battle-ready squad, particularly out of the junior class which helped claimed Allegheny’s second consecutive NCAC Tournament Championship in 2005 and went on to the NCAA Division III Regional Tournament.

“They’re very hungry. They know they had a lot of unfulfilled potential last year and it’s translated into a realization of just how important each and every game is throughout the season,” said Sanford. “We lost some games early in the regular season and the conference schedule, but now they know they can’t have slip ups like that if they want to compete for a championship.”

At the top of the list of returning players for the Gators is a trifecta of all-conference performers, including juniors Abby Bodenlos (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shady Side Academy) and Crystal Ptacek (Allison Park, Pa./North Allegheny) and sophomore Rachel Ryan (West Salem, Ohio/Northwestern). Bodenlos and Ryan should form one of the best middle-infield combinations in the league after earning honorable mention and first-team All-NCAC accolades, respectively, in 2006, in addition to being tabbed third-team all-region. Bodenlos earned her second-straight All-NCAC nod at second base after posting a .315 batting average and leading the squad with four homeruns, 29 RBI, and conference record-tying 22 stolen bases, while Ryan was tabbed NCAC Newcomer of the Year as a shortstop with a .423 batting average and team-highs of 39 runs scored, 52 hits, nine doubles, five triples, and 19 walks. Ptacek emerged as Allegheny’s top stopper behind the plate, earning second-team all-league with a .344 average, 42 hits, and 21 RBI.

Adding experience to the infield unit are junior Emmalynn Sigrist (East Amherst, N.Y./Williamsville North) and sophomore Stephanie Lasinski (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland), who return as a catcher and infield, respectively. Sigrist is returning from an injury last season which limited her playing time to just seven games, while Lasinski started 32 games at the hot corner in 2006, posting a .212 batting averaged and smacking three homeruns.

Sanford is also expecting contributions in the infield from the freshman class, including Rebecca Burns (St. Rogersville, Pa./West Greene), Danielle Nordin (Warren, Pa./Warren Area), Allison Burr (Farmdale, Ohio/Badger), and Maggie Bodenlos (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shady Side Academy), who could also see time in the outfield.

The outfield will be as fast as ever, bolstered by the return of veterans Sarah Reilly (Dunkirk, N.Y./Dunkirk) and Elizabeth Burr (Farmdale, Ohio/Badger). Reilly, a junior, is one of the fastest runners on the team and scored 14 runs last season as well as being successful on all seven of her base-stealing opportunities. Burr started all 40 games last spring, racking up a .266 batting average, 28 runs scored, and 14 RBI, while putting together a team-best 10-game hitting streak around mid-season.

It will be a tight contest for time in the outfield with more than a few capable first-year players. Katie Wills (McKees Rocks, Pa./Montour), Shannon Culbreath (Columbus, Ohio/Eastmoor Academy), Lauren Lambert (Worthington, Pa./Kittanning), and Maggie Bodenlos all have potential to earn a starting nod this season.

With the graduation of four-time All-NCAC performer and two-time NCAC Pitcher of the Year Giannina Coccaro, the Gator pitching staff will center around sophomore Becca Rich (Gibsonia, Pa./North Allegheny) and freshman Alicia Morley (Sinclairville, N.Y./Cassadaga Valley). Rich went 7-7 with a 1.96 ERA as the No. 2 starter in the rotation in 2006 and was named NCAC Pitcher of the Week following the Florida trip. Sanford believes Morley will make a significant impact as a first-year after a successful high school career at Cassadaga Valley High School which saw her earn first-team all-state honors as a senior. First-year Allison Korotkin (Birmingham, Mich./Detroit Country Day) will also see some time on the mound in addition to various spots on the playing field.

“Defensively, I see us as being very strong because of our experience; we have a lot of people that have been out there and know what it takes,” commented Sanford. “Offensively, we’ll have a really nice mix of hitting for average and for power.”

“This group of players understands the philosophy of our program and the dedication and hard work that goes with it,” added the head coach. “They also understand where that hard work gets you in the end and they are committed to our success and what it takes to get there.”

Allegheny begins its season at the Sea Gull Invitational hosted by Salisbury University on March 9-10, before heading to Kissimmee, Fla., for the Rebel Spring Games from March 18-23. The Gators return north to face Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio, on April 1 and begin conference action against Oberlin College in its next date on April 3. The first home doubleheader takes place on Saturday, April 7, against Kenyon College at 1 p.m., with six more home affairs slated before the end of the season.

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